Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Malta: 2025 Guide

The Malta Psychology Profession Board (MPPB) is Malta's statutory regulator of psychologists. In Malta, the title of psychologist is protected by law. Nobody may use it, or practise psychology for payment, without an MPPB warrant.¹

This guide shows how to check a warrant in a few minutes. It also covers warning signs, the route to a warrant, and the neighbouring professions: psychiatry, psychotherapy and counselling.

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What the MPPB is, and the one rule that matters

The Board was created by the Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471).² The Act has been in force since 1 February 2005. It was amended by Act XXI of 2020 and again in 2024.³

The Board examines every warrant application and keeps the official register of psychologists.⁴ The one rule worth memorising is short. Nobody may claim to be a psychologist, or practise for payment, without a warrant.¹

A registered psychologist is someone on the Board's register who holds a warrant. They may use the title Registered Psychologist and the letters RPsy.²

Searching for a chamber or association of psychologists? One distinction matters. A professional association is a voluntary membership body, and membership is not a licence. Only the Board's warrant makes someone a registered psychologist in Malta.⁵

How to check a psychologist is warranted

The register is public and free. The Board publishes a downloadable Register of Warranted Psychologists on its official page.⁶ The April 2026 edition lists psychologists by specialisation, with names and warrant numbers. Warrant numbers take the form MPPB followed by digits, such as MPPB060.⁷

1. Ask for the warrant number. Asking is ordinary, expected due diligence, not an accusation.
2. Open the Board's page at family.gov.mt (Malta Psychology Profession Board) and download the register.
3. Match the name and number, and check the specialisation fits the service offered.
4. Still unsure? Contact the Board directly with the details you were given.

The Board sits within the Ministry for Social Policy and Children's Rights. Its office is at Palazzo Ferreria, 310 Republic Street, Valletta. Reach it at mppb.family@gov.mt or +356 2590 3281.⁶

Board documents also give the website www.mppb.gov.mt.⁸ It reaches the same Board as the family.gov.mt page. A separate list of Registered Supervisors appears on the same page.⁶

Warning signs, and what to do

Many practitioners will welcome the question. Treat the following as reasons to pause, not accusations:

• No warrant number offered, or reluctance to share one.
• A name that does not appear in the current register.
• The title of psychologist used alongside qualifications that cannot be checked.
• A claimed specialisation that does not match the register entry.

The law backs you here. Using the title of psychologist without a warrant, or practising the profession unwarranted, is an offence. Conviction carries a fine of up to €1,164.69, or up to three months in prison, or both. Obtaining a warrant through false information is punished more heavily: up to €2,329.37 or twelve months.⁹

If you believe someone is practising without a warrant, tell the Board. Write to mppb.family@gov.mt with the name, the claim made, and any documents shown. The same address takes concerns about the conduct of a warranted psychologist.

How someone becomes a warranted psychologist in Malta

The Act sets out who qualifies. An applicant must be entitled to work in Malta and be of good conduct. They need a Masters in Psychology from the University of Malta, or a comparable degree.¹ The qualification must sit at MQF level 7.⁵

Then comes supervised experience, completed after the degree. The Act requires at least two years of full-time practice, or 3,770 hours. Of those hours, 1,885 must involve direct contact. Supervision comes from a registered psychologist.¹ At least half must come from a warranted psychologist registered as a supervisor, in the area of the intended warrant.⁵

One number deserves a correction, because it is widely repeated. Some widely-copied summaries quote 5,655 hours. That figure appears in no Maltese law or Board document; it adds the direct-contact subset back onto the total. The statutory figures are 3,770 hours in total, including 1,885 in direct contact.¹

Applications are made online, with a €30 fee per application. Processing takes 115 days, with a decision within a further 5 days.⁵ The Act itself holds the Board to a four-month decision deadline.¹⁰

A warrant is not a once-off achievement. It stays in force only while prescribed continuing professional development is kept up; otherwise it is suspended until the Board is satisfied.¹⁰ The Board treats supervision as central to maintaining competence.⁸

Trained abroad: how foreign qualifications are recognised

Foreign and EU qualifications follow the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications Act (Cap. 451). The designated authority must decide within four months of receiving complete documents.¹¹ For psychology, comparable degrees are judged against EU Directive 2005/36/EC.¹

The Board may require an adaptation period or a proficiency test before issuing the warrant.¹² Foreign documents must be translated by an accredited translator. Copies must be certified as true copies by a legal professional.⁵

Psychiatrists, psychotherapists and counsellors

Malta regulates each of these professions under its own Act. Knowing which register to check saves time and confusion.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors first. Practising medicine in Malta requires a licence issued by the President of Malta. The doctor's name must also be entered in the Medical Register.¹³ Specialist titles carry a further rule: nobody may claim a speciality without entry in the relevant specialist register.¹⁴ The Specialist Register for Psychiatry is held by the Medical Council.¹⁵ A psychologist's warrant is not a medical licence, so questions about medication belong with a medically licensed practitioner.

Psychotherapists have a separate law with its own warrant. Nobody may use the title of registered psychotherapist, or practise psychotherapy for payment, without a warrant under that Act. Training requires a relevant bachelor's degree, then at least 3,000 hours in one psychotherapeutic modality. That training equals 120 ECTS, at Masters level.¹⁶ The profession's board keeps a register of psychotherapists holding a warrant.¹⁷ Unwarranted practice is an offence, with fines between €1,500 and €5,000.¹⁸

Counsellors are regulated by the Counselling Profession Act, in force since 2015. Note the chapter number, because summaries often get it wrong. The Counselling Profession Act is Chapter 538 of the Laws of Malta.¹⁹ Warrants come from the Council for the Counselling Profession in Malta (CCPM).²⁰ A full warrant carries over the requisites set for a temporary warrant, which include a Masters degree in Counselling issued by the University of Malta or a recognised degree,²¹ and adds supervised experience. That experience is two years full-time, or 1,000 supervised hours.²² The Council publishes registers of warranted counsellors, currently dated 9 July 2026.²³

Do not mix the thresholds across professions. Psychology asks for 3,770 supervised hours;¹ counselling asks for 1,000.²² Different Acts set different bars.

The Mental Health Act is a different law

If you arrived here looking for the Mental Health Act, that is a different kind of law. Its interpretation section defines the responsible specialist: the specialist in psychiatry under whose care the patient is admitted or receiving treatment or care. Its defined terms include the responsible carer, and restrictive care, which covers seclusion and restraint.¹⁵ For who may practise, the professional Acts above are the place to look.

Finding a professional you can trust

A warrant is more than paperwork. It means the applicant has satisfied the Board that they have adequate experience in the practice of psychology, gained under the supervision of a registered psychologist.¹ It also means there is a body with the power to act if standards slip.

So ask for the warrant number, and check the register afterwards. A practitioner who takes standards seriously will expect it. When you are ready to look for support, our guide on how to find the right therapist is a practical place to start.

This page is information, not legal advice. Laws, fees and registers change; verify anything current with the MPPB before relying on it. Last reviewed against the consolidated Acts and official Board pages in July 2026.

Team TherapyRoute

References

1. [1] Malta Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471), art. 3 (Warrant required to practise profession) legislation.mt/eli/cap/471/20240917/eng/pdf.
2. [2] Malta Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471), art. 2 (Interpretation) legislation.mt/eli/cap/471/20240917/eng/pdf.
3. [3] Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471), chapter header and consolidated version note (as amended by Act XXI of 2020) legislation.mt/eli/cap/471/eng/pdf.
4. [4] Malta Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471), art. 5 (Functions of the Board) legislation.mt/eli/cap/471/20240917/eng/pdf.
5. [5] Registration for a Psychologist's Warrant or as a Supervisor in Malta (servizz.gov.mt, service WEB05375) servizz.gov.mt.
6. [6] Malta Psychology Profession Board (family.gov.mt), official Board page: Register of Warranted Psychologists and contact details family.gov.mt.
7. [7] Malta Psychology Profession Board, Register of Warranted Psychologists (April 2026) familja.gov.mt.
8. [8] Malta Psychology Profession Board (familja.gov.mt), MPPB Supervision Guidelines familja.gov.mt.
9. [9] Malta Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471), art. 16 (Offences and penalties) legislation.mt/eli/cap/471/20240917/eng/pdf.
10. [10] Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471), art. 6 (Warrants), amendment annotation XXI of 2020 legislation.mt/eli/cap/471/eng/pdf.
11. [11] Malta Mutual Recognition of Qualifications Act (Cap. 451), arts. 2-4 legislation.mt/eli/cap/451/20241126/eng/pdf.
12. [12] Malta Psychology Profession Act (Cap. 471), art. 6 (Warrants) legislation.mt/eli/cap/471/20240917/eng/pdf.
13. [13] Malta Health Care Professions Act (Cap. 464), art. 7 (Conditions to practise as a medical practitioner) legislation.mt/eli/cap/464/20260213/eng/pdf.
14. [14] Malta Health Care Professions Act (Cap. 464), art. 29 (Specialists) legislation.mt/eli/cap/464/20260213/eng/pdf.
15. [15] Malta Mental Health Act (Cap. 525), art. 2 (Interpretation) legislation.mt/eli/cap/525/20170818/eng/pdf.
16. [16] Malta Psychotherapy Profession Act (Cap. 587), art. 3 (Warrant) legislation.mt/eli/cap/587/20260101/eng/pdf.
17. [17] Malta Psychotherapy Profession Act (Cap. 587), art. 5 (Functions of the Board) legislation.mt/eli/cap/587/20260101/eng/pdf.
18. [18] Malta Psychotherapy Profession Act (Cap. 587), art. 16 (Offences) legislation.mt/eli/cap/587/20260101/eng/pdf.
19. [19] Counselling Profession Act (Cap. 538), chapter header and consolidated version note legislation.mt/eli/cap/538/eng/pdf.
20. [20] Counselling Profession Act (Cap. 538), art. 4 legislation.mt/eli/cap/538/eng/pdf.
21. [21] Counselling Profession Act (Cap. 538), art. 3(1)-(3) legislation.mt/eli/cap/538/eng/pdf.
22. [22] Counselling Profession Act (Cap. 538), art. 3(4) legislation.mt/eli/cap/538/eng/pdf.
23. [23] Council for the Counselling Profession in Malta (family.gov.mt), official Council page: registers of warranted counsellors and contact details family.gov.mt.